Page 103 of Driftwood Daffodil 3

“Yes.”Wait…

Damnit. I was protecting him. Did that mean I cared about him? No. Any decent person would’ve done the same. His brother didn’t, but Romeo wasn’t a decent person. Someone should beat his ass too. What kind of brother lets something like that go on? For four years! Poor Gio had no one looking out for him…

Oh crap, I did care.

Well, there was only one thing to do.

I raised my fist and threw it into one of his pecks.

That was not one of my smartest idea. In fact I was pretty sure I hurt myself more than him. Pain radiated up my arm making me bounce from one foot to the other.

“Goddamnit.” I cried while shaking my hand.

Amusement tugged at Gio’s brow, “you feel better now?”

“No, I do not feel better.”

Hitting him was like hitting the wall. No, hold on. I’d actually punched the wall. That was where that hole came from and my hand didn’t hurt this much when I did that.

“What are you, made of stone?”

“You’re adorable.”

I found that statement incredibly insulting. “I’ll hit you?—”

Gio’s lips slammed down on mine, taking my mouth in a kiss that made my knees weak. One swirl of his tongue around mine and I forgot about Carissa, the fight and everything else. I was completely consumed by all things Gio Mancini. The sweet taste of wine on his lips tingled on my tongue while his scent filled the air around me. And I fought none of it.

Not the hand sliding up and around my thigh to grab my ass, or the feel of his hard body pressing against mine. My core clenched as his fingers dug into my ass while somewhere in the back of my mind, something told me to push him away. But I could barely hear it over my need to pull him closer.

There was a war going on inside me. A battle of what I should do versus what my body asked for. One part told me to run and the other begged for more. I didn’t want to give in or like what he did to me. But when my fingers threaded through Gio’s thick black hair, I knew which side won. The internal struggle I’d been fighting for weeks was over.

I wanted Gio Mancini.

At least I did until the door flew open and slammed against the wall. Whatever spell Gio had me trapped in was broken when Atlee walked in.

Gio tore his lips off mine and looked back at his friend, who pointed at us.

“You need to get her the fuck out of here, Dom is freaking the fuck out.”

“Goddamnit,” Gio sighed. “What did Romeo tell him?”

“Oh relax,” Atlee waved his hand. “He didn’t say anything about you.”

Wait a minute, did Atlee know about Carissa?

“He told Dom that his wife propositioned him, so he slapped her around. Now Dom is slapping her around. But if he sees her…” Atlee pointed at me. “He’s gonna know something is up.”

Son of a bitch, he did know.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snarled at Atlee. “How could you let that woman hurt Gio like that? What kind of friend are you?”

Atlee cocked a brow at Gio who cocked a brow at me.

“I don’t think she was hurting him, Small Fry.”

Yes she was. Atlee was just too wrapped up in pussy to see it. “I’m gonna throw my other shoe at you.”

Gio rolled his eyes. “Throw your shoe at him later. Right now we have to get you out of here.”

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